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Portuguese (Portugal)

### Resolving Ambiguity

The relative pronoun **que** (that/which/who) is incredibly useful, but it has a flaw: it does not change for gender or number. When a sentence has a complex noun phrase like "the stem of the orchid, which...", using *que* can make it unclear whether "which" refers to the stem or the orchid.

To resolve this ambiguity, Portuguese uses a set of relative pronouns that explicitly show gender and number.

| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| **o qual** (singular) | **a qual** (singular) |
| **os quais** (plural) | **as quais** (plural) |

### Singular Clarifications: O qual & A qual

By matching the gender and number of the specific noun you are referring back to, you eliminate any confusion. 

In the following example, **a qual** (feminine singular) points clearly back to *a botânica* rather than *o país* (masculine singular).

{{item:1039105}}

Similarly, if we want to say that the orchid (and not the stem) is blooming, we use the feminine singular *a qual*. 

{{item:1039113}}

If we want to point back to a masculine singular noun, like *o habitat*, we use **o qual**.

{{item:1039116}}

### Plural Clarifications: Os quais & As quais

The plural forms **os quais** and **as quais** work exactly the same way. They help you skip over the noun right next to the comma and point directly back to the intended plural noun earlier in the sentence.

Here, **as quais** tells us the roots (*as raízes*) are long, not the fern (*o feto*).

{{item:1039109}}

And here, **os quais** clarifies that it is the stems (*os caules*) blooming in spring, rather than the plants (*as plantas*) in general.

{{item:1039120}}

### More Examples in the Wild

Whenever you have two nouns of different genders or numbers linked together, *o qual* and its variations are your best tools for absolute precision.

{{item:1039118}}

{{item:1039123}}

Clarifying relative clauses (o qual, a qual)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
the biologist	o biólogo
the botany	a botânica
The biologist is studying the botany of the country, which is fascinating.	O biólogo está a estudar a botânica do país, a qual é fascinante.
the botanist	o botânico
to document	documentar
the fern	o feto
The botanists document the roots of the fern, which are long.	Os botânicos documentam as raízes do feto, as quais são compridas.
the stem	o caule
the orchid	a orquídea
to bloom	florescer
The botanist observes the stem of the orchid, which is blooming.	O botânico observa o caule da orquídea, a qual está a florescer.
the habitat	o habitat
endemic	endémico
We need to document the habitat of the endemic species, which is disappearing.	Precisamos de documentar o habitat da espécie endémica, o qual está a desaparecer.
the petal	a pétala
I took photographs of the petals of the orchid, which are white.	Tirei fotografias às pétalas da orquídea, as quais são brancas.
The biologists found the leaves of the endemic fern, which are huge.	Os biólogos encontraram as folhas do feto endémico, as quais são enormes.
In botany, we study the stems of the plants, which bloom in spring.	Na botânica, nós estudamos os caules das plantas, os quais florescem na primavera.
The habitat protects the petals of the flower, which are very fragile.	O habitat protege as pétalas da flor, as quais são muito frágeis.
However beautiful the orchids of the field, which bloom now, may be, they are rare.	Por mais belas que sejam as orquídeas do campo, as quais florescem agora, elas são raras.
Nobody documented the stems of that tree, which are ruined, except us.	Ninguém documentou os caules daquela árvore, os quais estão estragados, exceto nós.
The botany teacher loved the trees of this habitat, which are endemic.	A professora de botânica adorou as árvores deste habitat, as quais são endémicas.